The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-04-15
r7E Tack OF THIEVES.
,.rniAcance of Slang Terms Used by
y Crooks.

Crooks.
y,-oo, the 81. Louis Globe Democrat.
The followers OF any profession or occupa-
haze as a general thing words and
.,..s.s peculiar 20 their calling, with mean-
,,ore or less obscure to those not ia
a.o,. with the matters. These terms in
W. '.o.a of the honorable professions are
Thai technical but they might, neverthe
- ire called slang. Slang Is, however, the
,S,:r,l language of the classes who are
'alor fine ban OF the law or of public senti-
Int Pure slang originates as general
.bino among thieves. gamblers and prize
KIN ~. and it has its reason for existence
t,,, fact thar tie members of the hOnora-
Ia professions find it necessary to discuss
.i,, onerations and affairs so that outsiders
TOW, rot understand. The elevation of the
.sla-G.hter 10 the position of a popular ia
iinyite. and Of prize-hghting to rank in the
fcll OF SJrOlt, has made Its slang rather COM
only Ineligible. Gamblers slang. too,
has been made familiar to every one through
.I, ,,pwsD2perS Thieves slang, however,
moi so generally understood, for the thief,
.. sucb. desires to be unknown, and his
Ssno is only effective among his confreres.
The old talk of the thieves is not so generally
,,d rs il used to be. In fact, slang among
thieves of eminence in their profession has
lied out almost completely, for the reason
4 .l,a a
,nnans of attracting attentiOn-a very unde
nrahIe thing to this gentry. Among the
ias.e,. fry the use of slang still prevails, but
4 ,be meaning of terms changes more rapidly
81 ,ban if used to. Time was when member
81 Of tbe crooked fraternity could rattle off
4 Ave- or six sentences entirely unintelligibe,
o,d q detectives conversation was a marvel
h of mysterious meaning. Slang originating
q with fhe thieves has passed now to the news
IA he VIII i al
81 CONSTANTLY Some OF it passes into use among
81 better informed people, but not much, and
81 tba Greater part of the lingo" in use to-day
81 among thieves is as unintelligible to an hon
Fl o.t man as if it was so much Hottentot. The
n detectives. if possible, Use more slang than
81 a thief. and they keep up with all the addi-
81 tons to the rogues' lexicon, for the reason
Nj that it is part of a detectives pride to I'M
& derstand the talk, while the thief uses his
81 slang only to convey his ideas sub rosa to
e his partners, and not as a linguistic acquire
= m6nt.
The Use of slang by a detective was Iaugha-
81 bly illustrated not long ago at the four
81 courts, when one of the local lynxes was
b nut on the witness stand TO testify as to
81 The arrest of the defendant. After de
8 caring that the prisoner had several more
n or less weird and incomprehensible aliases
a and was g. bad man, the prosecuting attor-
q ney asked:
II How did you come to arrest hlmp
81 "Well,n replied the detective, Il was go
q ing down Broadway, and just in front l
q spied his nobs' / 'piped' him awhile, and
& then he got his lamps on me and screwed
81 his nut and damned"
The foreman of the jury was just on the
81 point of calling for an Interpreter when the
81 LAWYER translated the detectives testimony,
81 explaining that "his nObsn was defendant,
81 that piping was watching, lamps"
a meant ewes. and that when the man
d screwed his nut and damned" he started to
81 run away.
The explanation of a case by detective,
q if printed in his language, would to the gen
81 eral reader look like a sample of the new
81 language which some crank in Europe has
q invented for universal use. In the language
4 of the thieves all men who violate the laws
of meum and teum, whether by force, fraud
& or ingenuity, are Crooks" but Crooks
Il are subdivided into other classes. The bank
n burglar is gopher and dip" wire, :"
3 tool are the names for a pickpocket. A
"mOl WIRE is one who robS women only
and a very slangy crook might in a moment
q OF slang-Snging enthusiasm substitute for
81 the term another, mol buzzer." A woman
Is MOL while boy is always 'kid. :"
n If the burglar goes by himself he is a 'sin-
Gle-fOOter." A "stall" is one who watches
while burglar works or engages the atten-
ton of victims while pickpocketS are at
work. A man or an institution selected to
be robbed or victInized is a mark a
hlghwayman is a ''Strng- arm man" and the
act of highway robbery is ''holding upn
'Bloke' is common term originally mean
ing party TO be robbed, but now used as a
KIND of reproachful term signifying that a
party is mo good" The confidence man is
con man" If he plays three-card monte
ne Is monte spleer," and, as the game
requires pore than one to make it work, the
crowd is termed a monte mobn The vic
TIN OF the confidence man is a mark" or a
guy" and if he be an old man he is re-
spectful!y alluded to as a happy guy" If
he falls into the trap easily he is dead sure
TO lose his stuff" stuff being the crooks
term for the root of all evil. Stolen prop
elty is ''swag:" When it is hidden it be-
comes plant" When taken from its hid
ing place the act is called raising the
plant" A smart person is "fyn If thief
Is smart he receives credit therefor in being
termed "a dead fly mug" The detective
would say he is people he is" or "he's
smooth people" When a crook is not doing
much he is having tough leather" or
tough chewing" When he is busily en-
gaged ne IS getting in his graft" or
The confidence man when at work is
coping off stuff" If he has much trouble
..o,-o -. tIaII'ACg ~ II utltl, IL HOu
easy money" To burglar the operation
o. getting into a safe is Cracking the box. y
10 the plckpocket handkerchief is a
Wipe'", watch "super," the chain a
sang, gold chain ''red," a silver one
white" Gold is or used to be ridge" An
ulsoph1sticated man is GRAY" A person
VINO knows crooks and their ways is dead
On and his posting possible victims is call
knocking When a thief is captured
ne Is 'plnched" or "collared," if by detec-
1--WE, by fly" if by a common policeman.
~ ,'hatty." If his victim identifies the
thef that worthy declares that the "bloken
,rapPeed' to him When in Jail he's in
mock or IN the cooler and if he needs a
@Gwyer he employs a ''mouthpiece" The
Judge is the ''beak," and if the crook is
convicted he is settled" his term desig-
mated as time" being divided into
;MretcheS' instead Of years and moons
tStead Of months. Daylight means lib
uerty after imprisonment, and when he
speaks OF his incarceration the crook alludes
~ having. done his bit" cover the road. "
UlVing stiff " means telling lie; putting
DQld face on matters is expressed by
making a dead front" If the thief Is
Naly' then he is afraid, and, if he objects
ana SO declares himself, he makes a beef "
q, place where stolen property is kept is a
~HGe' the proprietor a fencer A jew il
I..e Il